Seamless Staten Island HOV lane gains traction in Senate bill

The creation of a seamless HOV lane from the Goethals to the Verrazano to the Brooklyn-Battery Tunnel gained traction with the passage of a bill in the state Senate. It was sponsored by state Sen. Diane Savino.
Staten Island Advance/Anthony DePrimo

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- A seamless HOV lane -- from the Goethals to the Verrazano to the Battery Tunnel -- championed as a benefit to Staten Island drivers, moved one step closer to reality Monday, with passage of a bill in the state Senate.

"It just makes sense," said state Sen. Diane Savino, who sponsored the measure. "We need all the capacity on our expressway we can get, and this bill accomplishes just that by opening an HOV lane for business 24/7/365."

A High Occupancy Vehicle lane over the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge would connect to the HOV lane on the Gowanus Expressway and Brooklyn-Queens Expressway to the Hugh L. Carey Tunnel, formerly the Brooklyn-Battery Tunnel.

The new HOV lane will link to the HOV on the Staten Island Expressway, said Ms. Savino, and expand to round-the-clock from the current hours of 6 to 10 a.m. heading toward the Verrazano and 3 to 7 p .m. heading toward the Goethals Bridge for all vehicles. She said the expansion would occur when work on the Expressway and the Verrazano is complete.